Method for filling and emptying tubes with fluid in measured quantities for research purposes



United States Patent [50] Field0fSearch..-. l41/7,8, 69,66,2.234248.369,1:23/(1nquired), 230, 23918101253359 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3.118.736 1/1964 Taylor 23/230 Primary Examiner- Houston 5. Bell,.1r. Attorney-Jeffers and Young ABSTRACT: A method of filling and emptying tubes with a measured amount of fluid including the steps of pumping the fluid from the dosage container to a storage container, then conveying the fluid over a distribution plate, and finally removing the fluid from the tube with a hypodermic syringe.

Patented Oct. 13, 1970 I INVENTOR Guam-ER EBERLE ATTORNEY METHOD FOR FILLING AND EMPTYING TUBES WITH FLUID IN MEASURED QUANTITIES FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES being washed in a physiological solution of cooking salt in the I suspensories being created. This happens as is known in centrifugal tubes. The known washing process consists of the following: To centrifuge the swollen erythrocytes; to pour off the supernatant washing fluid: or to flex them dry with the means of a water pump; then a new physiological cooking salt solution is being added to the sediment and the tubes are being shaken up. This known process is complicated and time consuming. According to method and proceeding it is necessary to wash the erythrocytes several times ip physiological cooking salt solution, i.e., to free them from the serum.

It is further known to use test tubes, however these tubes will have to be put into a water bath or a blood bank for incubation. Further, the filling and emptying of tubes according to the known method is complicated and time consuming because each individual tube has to be filled one by one with the certain doses. Under similar circumstances it is also time consuming and complicated to again empty the tubes. This is not only true for the described process of medical research, this can also be very complicated and time consuming for chemical research at which process a greateramount of test tubes have to be filled and again emptied with the same fluid, since this is being done by hand and for each tube individually. The invention has, therefore, the task to at least half automatically fill and empty the tubes with a fluid in measured quanti ties which is to be used for the above described cases. The

solution of the task is to first of all pump the fluid from the doseage container to a storage container, and then to convey it over a distributor plate into several tubes at the same time, after which the fluid will be sucked up with the means of a hypodermic syringe. In doing this it is especially advantageous if the conveying pressure is so high that a whirl is being created at the bottom of the tube. In this manner all tubes can be filled at the same time with measured amount of fluid with an ordinary pump. Also, the vacuum process is being done in a similar manner without it being necessary to take even one of the tubes into your hand. The high pressure is being used for one to whirl up the erythrocytes from the bottom and, secondly, to achieve an even doseage in all tubes. The process disclosed permits the doseage of a larger amount of tubes even though the mentioned doseage container only measures enough fluid for all the tubes which are being filled at the same time.

In further describing the invention the device may show a doseage container with an electronic feeler which will shut off the pump. Through this a half automatic working process is possible since each feeler shuts off the pump which is being started by hand by pushing either the doseage" or fill button. Furthermore, the electronic feelers permit a very exact amount into the containers.

There is a further advantageous feature of the invention which is that the distributor plate shows a corresponding number of injector nozzles to each tube, and so the distributor plate can be set into a frame which is holding the tubes. The tube frame, as disclosed, can be manufactured of Chromenickel steel and may instead of the usual testing tubes be arranged on the laboratory table in rows. A window may be provided in the frame so the happenings inside the tubes may be watched. The frame, as disclosed, may also be put into the water bath or the blood bank together with the tubes for incubation without having to shift the tubes'into the until now being used test tube containers. With this, the special advantage is that the danger of mixup through shifting is impossible.

i A further development of the invention provides that the tubes center themselves when being put on the distributor plate by means of a tapered formation at the mouth of the mentioned injector nozzles. Concerning the higher pressure being created through this invention it is of special significancethat the squirt into the tubes happens exactly in the middle, which is otherwise being directed against the side of the tubes and therefore cannot achieve their earlier mentioned necessary whirl.

Naturally it is also possible to centralize the tube frame ex actly with the distributor plate, in which case the centering of thetube with the nozzle should be exact. The invented tapered formation at the mouth of the injector nozzle shows advantage that the very exact reception of the tube in the tube frame ,is not successful, especially since these glass tubes are not always manufactured with the greatest precision and tolerances occur.

The further development of the invention shows that the pipe line leading from the storage container is connected with a first three-way-valve with the pump which in turn is con; nected through a second three-way-valve with the distributor plate and doseage container. Through this a reverse pipe line connects directly the doseage container with the first three; waywalve. Therefore, the same pump may be used for filling of the doseage container and also for the emptying of the same without direction change. One time the fluid is being moved from the tank into the doseage container, and then when the doseage container is full, follows the output over the mentioned reverse pipe line to the distributor plate. Of course the pump does not need to be a doseage pump of the common type since you know that the exact measured quantity is being attained through the arranged doseage container of this invention. The vacuum process is also advantageous in a similar way. This can be achieved by ascertaining that the hypodermic syringe rake shows a corresponding arrangement and number of syringes as the number of tubes and that it may be put on the frame which accepts the tubes. Hereby an exact centralization is not necessary, which is necessary when filling in measured quantities, so for this process no special arrangement has been made. However, a movable plate may be affixed which is lockable and which grips around the syringe so that the depth of immersion of the syringe is easily adjusted.

The syringes may be provided on both ends with removable caps which show openings on the sides so that the syringes may suck up the fluid from the sides and therefore preventing the sucking up also of the erythrocytes. The caps are easily removable so that they may be cleaned.

Finally, the dimensions of the syringes and the vacuum lines may be kept so that an unwanted backflow of already sucked up fluid may be prevented.

Further advantages and details of the invention may be seen in the following description of an example and with reference to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the switching arrangement of the device for filling in measured quantity.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the vacuum device.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the distributor plate with a tube frame shown schematically underneath in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the distributor plate.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the hypodermic syringe rake.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the hypodermic syringe rake illustrated in FIG. 5.

FIG. 1 shows a storage container 1 from which the fluid is being sucked over the first three-wayvalve 2 to the pump 3 and is from there being moved over the second three-wayvalve 4 into the doseage container. In the position shown in FIG. I of both three-way-valves 2 and 4 the fluid is being moved from the storage container 1 into the doseage container 5. This doseage container shows two electronic feelers l0 and II, which serve until the pump 3 is being shut off. When the fluid touches the feeler 10 the doseage container is being filled and the pump 3 is being shut off. With one motion both three-way-valves 2 and 4 are being switched over and the pump is being switched on again, after which the fluid is being pumped out of the doseage container 5 over the reverse pipe line through the pump 3, over the three-way-valve 4 into the distributor plate 6. Both feelers are adjustable so that measured doseage may be adjusted. Pump 3 is being shut off by the electronic feeler in the doseage container as soon as the container is empty and the tubes are filled.

in FIG. 2 the fluid is being sucked into a container 7 by means of a hypodermic syringe rake 9 with its syringes 14 and through the vacuum pump 8. The tubes are not being shown in FIG. 2, howeverit is understood that similar to the distributor plate 6 the hypodermic syringe rake 9 may be put onto the tubes which may be found in the tube frame which will be described later.

FIG. 3 shows a distributor plate 6 with its connecting piece 33, which is connected with several channels 34, so that the fluid may be distributed fast over the total width of the main distributor channel 35 so that the measuring of quantity may be even in all tubes 15. The distributor plate 6 consists of the top part 36, the bottom part 37, which are both screwed together with screws 38 with the seal ring 39. Through the already mentioned main distributor channel 35 the fluid goes into the injection nozzle 12, the mouth pieces of which show a tapered formation 19, so that the tubes 15 may centralize themselves, when the plate 6 is being set onto the tubes 15.

The tubes are being held in the tube frame 31, which is being shown only schematic and which is being manufactured from Chrome-nickel steel, and which exhibits a window through which the tubes may be watched.

FIG. 4 shows that the plate also has a certain depth so that three rows of nozzles 12 may be arranged one after the other. The cone 19 to center the tubes 15 is shown somewhat clearer. Further, a slanted plane 18 is visible which serves the purpose of bringing the openings of the tubes 15 into exact center position with the injection nozzle 12.

FIG. 5 shows that the hypodermic syringe rake 9 also shows an upper part 40 and a lower part 41 similar to the distributor plate. There is also a connecting piece 33 present, through which the fluid is being sucked out of the syringes through vacuum channels 32. The lockable plate 13 which moves over the syringes 14 serves the purpose of regulating the immersion depth of the syringes 14 into the tubes 15. The dimensions of the syringes l4 and the drying up of channel 32 are kept so that an unwanted backflow of sucked up fluid is being prevented. Further, the pump 8 and the syringes 14 are dimensioned such that only one tube may be sucked empty through one syringe even though all other remaining 14 syringes may already be sucking air. This ascertains that all tubes are being emptied evenly. The syringes suck from the side so as to prevent the sucking up of erythrocytes, and are for this purpose equipped with removable caps 16 which have openings on the side 17. The unwanted backflow of already sucked up fluid is also being achieved through the labyrinth type channels 32. FIG. 6 shows again the expansion of the hypodermic syringe rake in the depth and, of course, as for the distributor plates, 15 syringes 14 are being reserved for IS tubes 15 for the same tube frame 31 which is being shown in FIG. 3. The tube frame is not being shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

In the mentioned example the washing fluid shown in the tubes above the erythrocytes-sediment is being sucked up after centralization with the help of hypodermic syringe rake 9 into the wash fluid container 7. Of course numerous other usages are possible where a hypodermic syringe rake 9 is not necessary, but where it is simply necessary to remove fluid fast while it may be uncomfortable, time consuming, or even dangerous to simply pour out fluid. Further, a fast and exactly measured filling of numerous test tubes for chemical research may be desired for which the described procedure may be used with greatest ad. antage.

I claim:

ljThe method of filling and emptying tubes with a liquid in measured quantities for research purposes comprising the steps of:

pumping the liquid from a first storage container into a doseage container;

simultaneously pumping the liquid from the doseage container into a plurality of tubes; and

simultaneously pumping the liquid from said tubes into a second container.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of pumping the liquid from the doseage container into a plurality of tubes further comprises the step of maintaining the pressure of the liquid at a sufficiently high level that a whirl is created at the bottom of the tubes.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of sensing the level of the liquid in the doseage container and terminating the step of pumping the liquid from a first storage container into a doseage container when the liquid reaches a prescribed level.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of terminating the step of simultaneously pumping the liquid from the doseage container into a plurality of tubes when the level of liquid in the doseage container reaches a second prescribed level.

5. A device for filling and emptying tubes comprising:

a first storage container;

a pump;

a first valve operable in a first position to pass liquid from said first storage container to said pump;

a doseage container;

a second valve operable in a first position to pass liquid from said pump to said doseage container;

a distributor plate having a plurality of liquid discharging apertures; and

means for changing said first and second valves to second positions whereby liquid passes from said doseage container through said first valve through said pump and through said second valve to said distributor plate.

6. The device of claim 5 further comprising a plurality of tubes, said distributor plate adapted to simultaneously discharge liquid from said apertures to said plurality of tubes.

7. The device of claim 6 further comprising:

a first sensor for determining when the liquid in said doseage container has reached a first prescribed level and effective thereupon to cause said means for changing to change; and

a second sensor for determining when said liquid has reached a second lower level and effective thereupon to disable said pump.

8. The device of claim 6 wherein said distributor plate is provided with a plurality of tapered formations each adapted to center a tube beneath a corresponding aperture.

9. The device of claim 6 further comprising means for simultaneously withdrawing the liquid from said plurality of tubes and depositing it in a second storage container.

10. The device of claim 9 further comprising adjustably settable means to cause less than all of the liquid to be withdrawn from each of said plurality of tubes. 

